All Around Me
by Kowareta1468
Summary: Sakura knows that she can only depend on a few things in life: Naruto will always be her best friend, Sasuke will only ever be a friend and nothing more, Itachi will always be a mystery, her mother is missing, her father deserves to be dead, and the pain will never stop. What Sakura doesn't account for, however, is that things can change.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Hello, everyone! I have written a few one-shots for _Naruto_ , but this will be my first story. I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I do writing it. If you ever have questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to either leave a review or PM me. Constructive criticism is welcomed, but please be kind and remember that I am a real person and not a writing machine for your individual needs and pleasures.**

 **Summary:** **Sakura knows that she can only depend on a few things in life: Naruto will always be her best friend, Sasuke will only ever be a friend and nothing more, Itachi will always be a mystery, her mother is missing, her father deserves to be dead, and the pain will never stop. What Sakura doesn't account for, however, is that things can change.**

 **Pairings: I may change my mind, but as of right now I'm planning on this story being Itachi x Sakura. In the beginning of the story Sakura will have feelings for Sasuke (naturally), but she will not be acting on them. In the future there may be brief spells of Naruto, Sasuke, or other characters showing feelings for Sakura, but she most likely won't be acting on them, either.**

 **Rating: This story will be rated T as most of my stories are, but if at any point in time anyone believes the story should be moved to the M rating, please let me know. This story will be discussing domestic and verbal abuse, self harm, and bullying. There may be futures scenes of mature content, but nothing too extreme. I will most likely give an advance warning if a scene is boarder-line M rating, though, like I said, that may not happen.**

 **Chapter Length: this chapter was around 2,100 words before adding notes and information, and I will try to make all chapters around 2,000 words. This may not always happen, so please don't be surprised or upset if a chapter is short or very long. Once again, I will probably give advance warning to this in an Author's Note.**

 **Cover Art: I do not own the cover art for this story. I simply looked up "Sakura Haruno in pain" on Google Images and the cover art for this story was one of the results.**

 **Title: The title of this story is inspired by the song _All Around Me_ by Flyleaf. I am using the song lyrics as vague references to this story. If you see any specific connections between this story and the song, feel free to mention it in a review; there's a chance you'll be featured in future chapters!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own _Naruto_ or _Naruto Shippuden_. Masashi Kishimoto owns the show, manga, and all characters (aside from my OCs, which I will point out if needed).**

* * *

The air was thick with humidity, partly from the rainy weather outside and partly from the amount of teenagers sweating. The room was large, as was any gymnasium, but the room felt small and cramped, especially for Sakura.

 _What if the ball comes to me?_ Sakura asked herself. She watched as the volleyball passed from her team to the other team and back. It was almost like a dance. The two teams acted each as a person, and the ball was the rhythm. They swayed back and forth with grace and perfection. _What if the ball comes to me and I mess up that perfection?_

Sakura could feel it all around her, the tension. _What if I fail? What if everyone laughs at me? What will my friends think? What if they don't want to be my friend after I mess up their beautiful dance?_

All too soon, the ball came soaring through the air and right to Sakura. She looked around frantically and the world slowed down. Sarada and Karin, in the very front, seemed annoyed and impatient. _They know I'm going to mess up._ Naruto and Sasuke were at the front on the other side of the net, both looking worried. _Are they worried because I'm such a spaz and they know I'll mess up?_ Beside her, Itachi had a small smile on his face.

Sakura's heart stopped beating. _Itachi, when did you become a rock in my lonely sea of despair?_ Looking at his kind face, she knew that it didn't matter if she hit the ball or not. _Surely Itachi will catch it if I don't, right?_

Sakura slowly put her hands up, ready to hit the ball, but suddenly the world began moving full-speed again. The ball flew at her with incredible speed and didn't stop until it collided with her forehead. Sarada's barking laugh and Karin's shout of "forehead girl" was the last thing Sakura heard before waking up.

When Sakura did wake up, her hand moved to gently touch her forehead. She winced slightly when she felt the tender skin and slight pain. By now there was probably a nasty bruise rather than a red mark, but bruises weren't something Sakura got worked up about. Not anymore, at least; she was used to it.

Sakura thought about her options. She could certainly lay in bed all day, but that would have serious consequences. Her father would want his coffee and breakfast made when he woke up. Her only other option was to get up and start her day, which was the only smart choice.

It took a lot of effort, but Sakura managed to sit up. Her head was pounding and she wasn't sure if that was because she slept on the floor or if it was because her father had hit her pretty hard with a beer bottle last night, which was the cause of the pain on her forehead.

Sakura wasn't surprised by her dream. Whenever her father hurt her, which was any time he was home, she always had a dream about getting hurt in some way, usually far more innocently caused. She was also dreading the start of school in a few weeks. Most people found her to be stupid, ugly, and a clutz, and they didn't think twice about reminding her about the qualities she lacked. She didn't have school that day, which was good enough news to give her the final push she needed to get out of bed.

Sakura hadn't had a chance to do her own laundry in a while, so she didn't have many clothes to pick from. It was almost obvious that she would be wearing an old camisole and a pair of sweatpants that day. She didn't get a chance to take a shower the night before, either, so her hair was looking worse for wear. It was a miracle that the rat's nest was able to be put into a proper ponytail, a miracle Sakura was grateful for.

It was almost nine o'clock in the morning, so Sakura knew that she had a few hours before her father woke up. She decided to take advantage of the time while he slept. After starting a load of laundry, Sakura began cleaning the house as fast as she could. All the empty beer bottles were thrown away, the kitchen was wiped clean, the dishes were done, and the floors were swept. Only an hour had passed, which was fortunate for Sakura.

Kizashi always left his phone, keys, and wallet on the kitchen counter. If Sakura went through his phone or drove his car, then she would certainly be reprimanded. His wallet, however, was mostly fair game. Sakura couldn't use his money to buy herself anything, even essential toiletries or food; that's why she had a part-time job. Sakura could, however, use his debit card to go buy him more beer, coffee, or snacks that were probably terrible for his health. Usually Sakura gave his debit card to Minato, her best friend's father, and he bought the beer.

Kizashi had less than half a case of beer left, so Sakura knew that she should get more. She also needed a few things from the store, so she grabbed her wallet and her father's debit card before heading out of the house. She only had to walk across the street to get to Naruto's house, which was very convenient.

Sakura knocked twice on the door, wondering who would answer. Minato and Kushina, Naruto's mother, were both teachers, so neither of them currently had jobs. Kushina occasionally volunteered at local charities, which meant there was a chance she wasn't home. Naruto usually slept in later than Kizashi, so it wasn't likely that he would answer the door. Naruto also had two siblings, Boruto and Himawari, but they only answered the door when no one else was home.

To Sakura's relief, Minato himself answered the door. He smiled when he saw Sakura and it only took a second for his smile to falter. He looked past Sakura and saw Kizashi's car sitting in the driveway. He looked back to Sakura before saying, "Sakura, your forehead looks like it hurts a lot."

Sakura shrugged. She couldn't hide anything from Naruto and his family, especially since they live right across the street. Sakura would tell them whatever they didn't hear themselves, and they basically knew it all. Boruto and Himawari were never told, but Boruto was beginning to figure things out.

"Please, come in," Minato said, opening the door open the whole way. "I didn't realize that Kizashi was home." Usually when Kizashi comes home, Sakura stays at Naruto's for the night. The first night is usually the worst, since Kizashi drinks more and is more stressed. "Do you need any ice or pain killers for your head?"

"No, I'm fine," Sakura assured him. He reached out to touch her and she let him. His thumb felt cool against her head as he gently ran it over the bruise. "I was wondering if you'd be able to go to the store for me."

Minato knew that Sakura didn't mean the grocery store, since he always went to get beer for Kizashi when he came home. "It's still beyond me how Kizashi expects you, a minor, to get him beer." Minato grabbed his keys and led Sakura to his car.

"He expects it now," Sakura explained. "I only started doing it because it makes things a little easier." She gave a non-convincing smile at Minato. "I'll be fine. And thanks again for getting the beer." Minato always offered Sakura a ride to the grocery store, but today she didn't feel like listening to his pity-requests, as she often called them. Instead, she ran down the street before he could offer.

The grocery store was about a mile away, and Sakura used the time to try to clear her head. Now that she wasn't busy, she began thinking about the previous night. Minato didn't know that Kizashi was coming home because Sakura didn't even know. She had been watching television when her father stormed in, angry that she wasn't prepared for him. The argument started easily, as well as his drinking. Four beers later they were still fighting, and that's when he hit her.

Sakura took a few deep breathes to calm down before going into the grocery store. She needed to get what she needed and get out before Minato finishes getting the beer. She just knew that he'd wait outside to give her a ride home, and that just wasn't an option. She raced through the aisles, filling her basket with everything she needed. She was just about to get the last item she needed when she saw two familiar faces standing in front of her.

"Sasuke!" Sakura said in surprise, having almost run into him. She tried to fight the blush creeping up her neck.

"Hey, Sakura, what's up?" Sasuke greeted her. He looked at the clothes she was wearing and the items in her basket and raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you a little young to be dressing like a tired mother and doing your grocery shopping this early in the morning?"

This time Sakura couldn't stop the heat in her face. She let out an awkward cough and shifted her weight between her feet. She had always been hoping that Sasuke wouldn't see her in a compromised state at the grocery store for two reasons. One, he knew nothing about her struggles at home. Two, he was undeniably the most attractive creature walking the Earth. He did not need to see her acting as a tired mother.

"Look at that blush," Sasuke chuckled. He put his finger on her neck and moved it up her face. "It goes from here to-" He stopped when his finger got to her forehead. "That's a pretty nasty bruise. What the hell did you do to get that?"

"Sasuke," Itachi chided. It was the first thing Itachi had said in the whole conversation, and until then Sakura had forgotten that he was there. Itachi always seemed to have that effect on people. "Don't be rude. It's a Tuesday morning during summer vacation. She probably just woke up and decided to run a quick errand for her parents. There's no need to call her a tired old mother."

Sakura was really starting to feel uncomfortable. She didn't have "parents," just "parent," and even that was a stretch. She also didn't like that her bruises were visible. Usually her injuries were in places that were easier to hide, but this time there might as well have been a blinking sign with an arrow.

Sasuke had a concentrated look on his face. "You're probably right, Itachi." He looked back to Sakura. "Sakura, I am deeply sorry for my actions. Can you please find it in your heart to- Ow!" Sasuke threw his hands up to his head, right over the spot where Itachi just hit him. "What's your deal?"

"Sakura!"

The trio turned to see Minato running up to them. He looked a little worried, but he quickly wiped the look off his face when he noticed that Sakura wasn't alone. Itachi and Sasuke exchanged glances, clearly not convinced by the sudden change in expression.

"I'm glad I caught you," Minato said. He smiled at the boys. "Hello, how have you guys been?" He didn't wait for a reply before speaking to Sakura again, "I figured you'd want a ride home. You must be tired from walking all the way here."

Sakura sighed. "Sure, if you must." She pulled her phone out of her pocket to check the time. Her eyes widened when she saw that it was already passed eleven. "Oh no! Minato, we should probably get going."

Minato smiled. "There's no rush. Kushina called me while I was out. The...thing was almost taken care of, so I hurried back to finish things up."

Sakura let out a sigh in relief. "That's great! Now I don't need to rush." She held up her basket. "I still have a little bit more shopping to do, then we can go. I'll see you later, Sasuke."

Sakura quickly walked away, hoping the boys wouldn't ask too many questions. She grabbed the last thing she needed before checking out and letting Minato drive her home. On the way he further explained, letting her know that Kizashi was packing up his car when Kushina saw him. Minato had given him his beer, since Kizashi knew that Minato was the one to always buy it, and then gave him his card back. Kizashi was never polite, but he hadn't been extremely rude, which was good. He was probably more cheerful than usual because he didn't have to deal with Sakura before leaving.

 _If only he could always leave without saying goodbye,_ Sakura thought bitterly. _Maybe then my life would be a little easier._


	2. Chapter 2

Itachi glanced over at his little brother as he was driving down the road. Sasuke was looking out the window, bobbing his head to the beat of the song playing on the radio. Itachi was never able to keep up with popular music, so he had never heard the song playing on the radio before.

Itachi turned down the radio, making Sasuke let out a groan and look at his brother. Itachi typically turned off the music to complain about said music, which Sasuke assumed was going to happen again. Instead, Itachi brought up a topic that was a total surprise: Sakura.

"Was Sakura okay today?" Itachi asked. "She seemed a little...off."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "That's just Sakura. She's a total scatterbrain at times." He reached to turn the radio back up, but Itachi shot him a look that screamed "we aren't done with this conversation." "Look, she's fine. I'm her best friend, so I think I'd know if something was bothering her."

"So she's always like that?" Itachi asked. Rather than turning down his street, he kept driving and turned down the next one.

"Like what?" Sasuke asked, his confusion clear in his voice.

Itachi parked his car along the street and turned off the ignition. He turned so he was totally facing Sasuke. "There's no way she's always like that," he said. If he didn't know Sasuke better he would say that the boy was faking his confusion. "She was totally rushing through that store. Something had to have been pushing her like that."

Sasuke thought a moment. "Maybe she's on her period or something." He let out a chuckle, but Itachi wasn't as amused. "Oh, come on, Itachi! It's Sakura we're talking about. Hardly anything bad has happened to the girl in the year I've known her."

Itachi didn't respond right away. He began running the scene in the grocery store through his head. Although the exchange couldn't have happened more than ten minutes ago, it had all happened so fast he was struggling to remember the details. Sakura had been poorly dressed but, like he had said to Sasuke, it was a Tuesday during summer vacation; there was nothing suspicious about the way she was dressed. Sasuke had teased the girl and made her blush, which Itachi hoped didn't mean the girl would have a crush on his little brother. She would certainly get her heart broken if she did. Finally, Minato had come in, talking about some problem that he took care of.

"That's her house up there, right?" Itachi asked, motioning a few houses away.

"It must be," Sasuke said. He craned his neck to see better. "Yeah, it is. She lives across the street from Naruto."

Itachi nodded. Naruto and his family had been over to dinner at the Uchiha house a few times before, so Itachi knew that Minato was Naruto's father and Kushina was his mother. At the store, Minato had been discussing a problem involving Sakura that Kushina had told him about. _If Kushina saw it, it must have been in Sakura's house. She could easily just look across the street and see it,_ Itachi thought. _So what_ was _it? What emergency did Sakura have?_

"Are we going to sit out here all day?" Sasuke asked. He motioned to the bags of groceries sitting at his feet. "We need to get home so Mom can start getting ready for tonight. The whole reason we went to the store was to get stuff for the party, and now you're just worrying over nothing because of it."

Itachi wasn't about to stop thinking about Sakura and what the issue could be, but he wasn't going to let Sasuke know that. _If Sasuke won't worry about his friend, fine, but that doesn't mean I won't be a decent human being. There_ is _something going on,_ Itachi told himself.

Itachi drove down the street and turned onto the next street over. He could still remember last year when Sasuke came home, complaining because he found out that Naruto lives on the street parallel to his own. Sasuke hated the idea back when he didn't like Naruto, but now that they were best friends everyone appreciated the convenience.

Sasuke carried the bag inside while Itachi started putting everything in nice piles on the counter. Their mother, Mikoto, smiled when they walked inside. She tried to kiss Sasuke on the forehead, but he easily dodged it and left the kitchen, probably planning on going to his room. When Mikoto moved to kiss Itachi's forehead, he made no complaints and actually lowered himself so she could reach. By the time he was Sasuke's age, he had realized that Mikoto wasn't trying to be overbearing and decided to let her give her small affections of love.

The location of the kiss reminded him of Sakura, which wasn't hard to do at the moment. "Mom?" Itachi asked. She gave a hum in response. "What do you know about Sakura?"

Mikoto began to cut up vegetables for a tray, which was one of the things she was taking to the party. "She's a wonderful girl," she began. "She's only come over here a few times, and every time it's been with Naruto. I don't resent her for it, of course. I understand that she might not be the type to like to hang out with a guy on her own."

Itachi didn't respond because he was afraid of what he would say. He knew that if he said something about being worried about Sakura, then his mother would surely worry herself sick, so he would just ask enough questions to help himself without raising questions. Mikoto either gave very useful information or enough information to prove that there really wasn't anything to worry about, but Itachi didn't know which was the case this time.

If Sakura was the type to not want to be friends with guys, then it would make sense that she would be uncomfortable with them at the grocery store. Sakura wasn't that type of girl, though, and Itachi knew it. Sakura had been friends with Naruto since grade school, Sasuke had said once, so there was no way that she was uncomfortable around guys. Itachi had seen her around school the year before, too, and he never saw her around any other girls. She was the type to only have male friends, it seemed. If that was the case, then Itachi couldn't figure out why she wouldn't come over to the Uchihas by herself.

"Honey, will you finish cutting up the vegetables?" Mikoto asked her son. "I need to get started on these cookies."

The rest of the afternoon passed with a blur for the Uchihas. Mikoto and Itachi worked in the kitchen, preparing cookies, the vegetable tray, and the fruit salad. Sasuke had spent his time cleaning his room and listening to music. Fugaku, Itachi and Sasuke's father, was just getting home from work when it was time to leave for the party. The family of four all got into one vehicle before driving down the road, making one small turn, then driving down the road parallel to their own.

The party was at Naruto's house. His little sister, Kimawari, was turning ten. Fugaku knew many people at the party because of his job as a policeman, but the rest of the Uchihas were left in the dark. Many of the guests were the families of Kimawari's friends, so Sasuke and Itachi knew few people. If any of the teenagers they knew had younger siblings, there was no way they'd go to a birthday party for one of their siblings' friends. Sasuke went because of Naruto and Sakura. Itachi mainly went to help out, but now he was glad he went because Sakura was going to be there.

"Where's Naruto?" Sasuke asked Kushina as she walked past. She had a plate of cupcakes in her hand, on her way to set them on the dessert table in the backyard.

Kushina smiled at Sasuke and Itachi. "He went over to get Sakura. If you want to go over there, I'm sure Sakura wouldn't mind. I bet you'd all have a lot more fun at her house than here with all the little kids, anyways." She looked behind her as Minato called her name. "Excuse me, but I need to get these outside."

"Let's go," Sasuke said, immediately walking away. He wasn't completely sure if Itachi would follow, but either way he was going to go across the street to get Naruto and Sakura.

In less than a dozen strides they were standing on Sakura's porch. Itachi noticed that there were no cars in the driveway. "Are her parents not home?" he asked. Sasuke shrugged, since he didn't know anything about Sakura's parents. He hadn't actually been to her house before, though that didn't stop him from walking right inside. "Sakura! Naruto!" he called.

Itachi walked ahead of Sasuke, looking around the first floor of the house. The whole space was open-concept, and it only took only a few seconds to go from the front door and through the living room to the kitchen. He ran his hand along the smooth countertop before picking up a piece of paper that was carelessly thrown there.

 _bye_

Itachi wasn't sure wrote the note, but he could tell from just the one word that the person had terrible handwriting. _Who would write such a meaningless note to her?_ he wondered. _Her parents aren't here right now, so maybe they wrote it. But why would they leave such a simple note as goodbye?_

"They must be upstairs," Sasuke announced, startling Itachi. Itachi had almost forgotten where he was and who he was with. "Let's go up there."

Itachi set the note down and followed Sasuke upstairs. The first door they saw was open and the room looked as if a tornado had gone through. An odd odor was also coming from it, a mix between body odor and alcohol. The next door was clearly Sakura's room because of how girly and perfect it all looked. Before they could get to the next door, Naruto popped out into the hallway. He looked surprised.

"What are you guys doing here?" Naruto asked, a frantic edge to his voice. He looked back at the door he closed quickly before looking at the brothers again. "Did the party already start? We'll be right over. You can head back."

Sasuke, unlike Itachi, didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary. "I'll see you guys in a bit," he said. "You coming, Itachi?"

"No, you go ahead," Itachi said, trying to act casual. Sasuke just nodded and went down the stairs. A moment later Itachi heard the front door close. "Is Sakura in there?" Itachi asked, nodding towards the closed door.

Naruto let out a forced laugh. "Yeah, she's taking forever to get ready. You know girls." He looked back at the door again and itched his arm. "She won't be much longer, so you can go back. Really."

Itachi knew something wasn't adding up. "Why were you in there with her? And why do you seem so freaked out at the idea of us being here?" he asked, not bother to sugar-coat anything.

Naruto pressed his lips into a line. He knew that he couldn't say anything. Plus, if he was going to tell anyone, it would be Sasuke, not Itachi. Itachi had always been Sasuke's older brother, never a friend. He was always someone just...there. He was never a part of anything. Now, it seemed like Itachi was finding Easter eggs in Sakura's life.

The door opened, revealing to Itachi that the room was a bathroom. Sakura leaned against the door frame, wearing a tank top and a pair of shorts. When she saw Itachi, she covered her arms and backed up a little. Looking closely, Itachi saw marks over her body. He soon realized that not all the marks were the same. The bruises ranged from being about to disappear completely to the one on her forehead, just then starting to show itself. Not only were there bruises, but there were some healing gashes, burn marks, and others that weren't identifiable.

Itachi wasn't sure what to think. He couldn't even begin to figure out the cause, yet the obvious choice was that she put them there herself. The idea appalled him. He hadn't know Sakura long or interacted with her much, but he knew that she was too wonderful to hurt herself.

Itachi realized something that should have been obvious: Naruto knows about whatever secret she has.

The idea of Naruto knowing that Sakura hurt herself, if that was what was happening, was worse than the knowledge of Sakura doing that to herself. If Naruto was a true friend, he would prevent anything that was hurting Sakura, especially herself, yet here she stood, bruised and beaten.

Sakura had been staring at Itachi since she came into his view, and she finally tore her gaze away to look at Naruto. "I didn't get a chance to pull the clothes from the laundry yet. Can you go get the basket? I want to have something nice to wear to Kimawari's party."

Naruto looked between Sakura and Itachi, clearly not sure if he should leave them alone. "Please," Sakura reiterated. Naruto was still worried, but he was going to respect her judgement. If she thought she was fine being alone with Itachi, then he would let her be alone with him. He gave Itachi one long look before moving past the older man to go downstairs.

Sakura went back into the bathroom and sat on the toilet, where she was previously. She wasn't surprised when Itachi followed her into the room. He looked around cautiously as if worried he'd find a dead body. Instead, he found a bloody washcloth, a bottle of Hydrogen Peroxide, and a box of opened bandages.

Sakura began to use the items on herself, cleaning any open wounds she had. While she did this, she began thinking about earlier that day, specifically when Minato brought her home. She had hurriedly thanked him before going inside after he dropped her off at home. When she saw the note on the counter, she became furious for reasons she didn't understand. Within seconds, she began hitting walls and throwing things. It had felt like hours, but in reality it had only been seconds since she walked in the house, so there was no doubt Minato was still close enough to hear what was going on inside. He was probably responsible for Naruto arriving minutes later.

By the time Naruto arrived, Sakura had already done a lot of damage. She had bruised her arms and legs from kicking and hitting things and her knuckles had split open from punching. She had mostly thrown nonbreakable items, but a lamp and the few dishes in the sink didn't survive her fit. Naruto had walked in on Sakura like that before, so he quickly diffused the situation. He took her upstairs to take a cool shower to calm down, then started cleaning the mess. Itachi and Sasuke arrived after most of the cleanup was finished, but Sakura was still touching up on a few spots before applying bandages.

Itachi was feeling conflicted. He wanted to know what had caused Sakura's injuries so he could help her, but he also didn't want to know; if he did, he would drive himself even more insane. Instead, he watched her eyes as her emotions swam behind them until Naruto back.


End file.
